We are an ethnographic research agency

What did Ethnography ever do for Healthcare Communications Anyway?

Posted: March 13 2012

It’s a good question and one we are asked shortly after we step through most agencies doors.

Ask yourself before you embark on a new campaign – how well do you really know your patients? Are there insights which you may be unaware currently that could help shape your whole communications strategy? Rational data and numbers give clients confidence but very often it’s the emotional connections that help develop a programme with much more impact.

Insights and real life patient stories reach people and make communications to patients far more relevant and empathetic, they can also make any activity aimed at healthcare professionals more engaging. They become more valuable to physicians because they get a much better understanding of their patients’ experiences than they generally would gain from a seven-minute consultation.

Using this type of research helps healthcare and pharmaceutical companies to demonstrate well-rounded expertise in a therapy area, going beyond the science. Potentially, it can also help differentiate one brand from another, when both have similar or equal efficacy, or enable a brand to keep its edge even if a competitor brings out new data. Close working with creative and research agencies can make best use of these insights to develop a strategy that informs everything you do, including digital activity, sales force materials, meetings with key opinion leaders, conference material, exhibitions and PR. The task then is to get everyone involved aligned and fully aware of the benefits.